What Licensing Expo Means to Me | From First Visit to Exhibitor: My Licensing Expo Journey

What is Licensing Expo really like?

In this episode of Born to License, David takes you inside Licensing Expo Las Vegas - the biggest and most important event in the global licensing industry.

From his very first visit in 2013 with Warner Bros. to now exhibiting with his own team, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how the licensing world comes together to create partnerships, deals, and billion-dollar brands.

🎢 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What Licensing Expo is and why it matters
• How major brands like Disney, Netflix, and Mattel operate at the event
• What happens behind closed doors in licensing summits
• How deals are made in fast-paced 30-minute meetings
• Why Licensing Expo is the most exciting trade show in the world
• The journey from attendee to exhibitor

🌍 Inside Licensing Expo

Licensing Expo brings together over 12,000 professionals from 70+ countries, including:

• Licensors
• Retailers
• Manufacturers
• Agents & agencies
• Global entertainment brands

It’s where the future of licensing is revealed — from upcoming films and franchises to major brand collaborations.

🎤 A Personal Journey

David shares his personal story:

• His first trip to Las Vegas and Licensing Expo
• Working with Warner Bros. Consumer Products
• Building his own licensing agency
• Bringing a team of 13 to the event
• Exhibiting for the very first time

🎬 Beyond the Show Floor

Licensing Expo isn’t just business — it’s an experience:

• Iconic Las Vegas shows and performances
• Industry awards (the “Oscars of licensing”)
• Team traditions and celebrations
• The energy of one of the most unique cities in the world

🚀 Join Us at Licensing Expo

We’ll be recording live from the show floor this year.

📍 Booth: T236

 📩 Want to be on the podcast? Email: hello@borntolicense.com

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Transcript

Picture this. It's 2013. I'm in my mid-20s, I've just landed in the United States, the first time in my life, and I'm heading to Las Vegas before I even hit the Strip. My boss at the time insisted we stop in LA first. Now he wanted to make sure I didn't leave America thinking Las Vegas was a normal city and that the entire country was like that. Spoiler it is not. Nothing prepares you for Vegas. The slot machines literally start at the airport and then see the Strip for the first time and you genuinely don't know where to look. It's flashy, it's theatrical, it's completely manufactured, yes, but at the same time, it's completely captivating. Las Vegas exists for one reason. Entertainment. And honestly, that made it the perfect city for what I was about to walk into. Licensing Expo. 

 I'd heard about it for years. I dreamed about going. And finally, as part of the Warner Brothers consumer products team, that moment had arrived. And I still remember stepping onto that show floor for the very first time. The thing that immediately catches you off guard is that it doesn't feel like a B2B trade show. It feels like a consumer event. As soon as the doors open, you're hit with enormous full color booths and your favorite characters everywhere you look. Over the years, I reckon I've had my photo taken with close to 100 characters. Elmo, Shrek, Barney the Teletub, Darby's Bluey, Peppa Pig, Cookie Monster, spongebob. The list goes on and on. And honestly, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. But it's not just the characters. The show floor itself is an incredible experience. 

 I've played a life size game of Connect 4 and Operation outside the Hasbro booth. I've had my photo taken inside a giant bowl of Naruto, Brandon Ramen. I've checked out the Barbie car. I've come through face to face with the biggest Care Bear you can imagine. I've come across the actual Batman and it costumes from the movies on display, Funko Pops taller than me, and a giant inflatable Angry Bird. There is always so much to see. It is without question the most fun trade show floor in the world. And then you realize underneath all of it, this is where the business of our industry actually happens. Licensing Expo draws over 12,000 registered professionals and retailers, manufacturers, marketers, agents, licensors from more than 77 countries. All the major players are there. Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Mattel, Hasbro, Universal, Netflix. The list goes on. 

 Now, the meetings are fast and Focused. And the diaries of the most in demand licensors will fill up months in advance. There's a lot of demand there. Typically you're looking at 30 minute back to back slots, so it can get pretty crazy. I remember in my Warner Brothers days, I had the luxury of sitting at a table and having meetings. Come to me these days, with my own agency, I'm the one navigating the floor, sprinting from a Barbie meeting on the Mattel booth to the Peanuts booth on the other side of the convention center, which is really far. It is a workout. Then there are the summits. These are invite only events hosted by the licensors where they pull back the curtain on what's coming in the next 24 months. The big films, the anniversaries, the franchises that they're betting on. 

 Your phone will go into a pouch at the door and you have to sign an NDA before you enter. It's one of the most exciting rooms you can sit in as a licensing professional. Now, the Monday evening of Licensing Expo week is traditionally the Licensing Excellence Awards, the Oscars of the licensing industry. Born Licensing has been nominated every year since 2018, and we won in 2018 for the He man and Scott Skeletor campaign where they recreated the lift scene from Dirty Dancing for a big money supermarket campaign in the UK. We've since won in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and we're nominated again this year. And being nominated when the industry is producing so many incredible partnerships really means something. And then winning, taking home the trophy, well, that is extraordinary. Now, Las Vegas isn't just Licensing Expo. 

 If you're going all that way, you'd be doing yourself a disservice. The city properly. Over the years, I've seen Celine Dion live at Caesar's palace, an experience I'll never forget. And then in 2024, I saw Adele live at the same venue, which was equally as memorable. I've been to a few Cirque du Soleils, which were always breathtaking. I've caught RuPaul's Drag Race live. That was a lot of fun. And of course, I've watched the Bellagio water show almost every single year. There's something about it that just never gets old, no matter how many times you've seen it. Las Vegas, really the type of city that rewards you when you lean into it. And then there's what I'd call the highlight of the week for me personally, and I think the born team too. The born Celebration dinner. 

 Every year we walk the Strip together as a team and head to the Caesar's Palace Buffet. It's a proper moment to exhale to celebrate a huge week to reflect about what happened on the show floor. What did we learn, what did we experience? What do we want to share with each other and then just really to be together as a group. This year with 13 of us there, it's going to cost an absolute fortune and it will be absolutely worth every cent. Because here is what I keep coming back to. Licensing Expo looks very different to me now than what it did in 2013. Back then I was still a spring chicken in my mid-20s, wide eyed experiencing it all for the first time. 

 Thirteen years later, I'm bringing a team of 13, some of whom will be walking that show floor for the very first time, just like I was. And this year, for the first time ever, the born team will have our own booth. Booth Booth T236. After 13 years of attending, we're finally exhibiting with our born to License division. We'll have licensed product at the booth made by our clients. Barbie backpacks, Disney drink bottles. And I could not be more excited. I personally finish every licensing expo more motivated than when I started and that's why I bring the whole team. Our junior team members leave with a completely accelerated understanding of this industry. And everyone is reminded at the same time of genuinely special. The work we do is because what we do in licensing is fun. We work with characters and IP every single day. 

 We work alongside talented, passionate, genuinely good people. Licensing Industry is the moment where we get to celebrate all of that together on the biggest stage our industry has in one of the most talked about cities in the world. Now we'll also be recording live from the show floor this year. If you want to jump on for a conversation, email hello at. Born to License will get you to our booth and you can have a chat with me on the PODCAST. And if you're heading to Licensing Expo, come find us booth T236. I'd really love to see you there. That's all for now. I'm David Born and this is Born to License.